January 14, 2022 – Just Barely Snuck in a Morning before the Next Cold Front – Berks County

A handful of small stream wild browns on the bugger before the blow

I almost missed the first milder window in a good while.  I was tied up on Thursday when it reached about 47 degrees in my area, but I saw that the weather change on Friday was coming during the late morning.  That means it was above freezing overnight after many nights in the 20's (and forecasted future days in the teens and single digits).  I did not get out at the crack of dawn like I intended, but for winter I was fishing pretty early this morning.  I took a ride to a beautiful trickle in Berks that was surprisingly occupied one post-spawn morning the last time I was in the area.  There is not a lot of water to cover, and only two spots I can park and fish without trespassing, but I knew where fish would be.  There are only so many winter spots on a creek this small.  Well, I caught a handful of trout, all but one a small jigged bugger, before the wind kicked up and the temperatures dropped again, so mission accomplished.

Slow and deep + ya! ya!

Tami checked to see how I was doing and to let me know she’d be home for the boy’s early dismissal, and I sent her a couple pics of the woods.  She asked if fishing this time of year was just a reason to hang out in the pretty woods.  She was of course right.  To catch 5 or 6 fish today was a bonus, and there is pride in a plan working out, but really I am just happy to get out when the weather sets in like this.  The fact that I didn’t have to fish for local stockies, or even visit Valley, and could actually get out in these pretty woods is even more awesome this time of year.  Some residual snow remained in those places where the sun rarely hits, but besides some fringe ice and frozen side channels the creek was free and clear.  I had heard some reports of frazil ice in freestoners, even Lehigh Valley creeks getting over 50% locked up, but this creek is helped by a few springs here and there and has a good gradient.  I did text Ward a picture of what he and my brothers and I used to call “ya ya” ice as kids.  It’s that air-filled fringe ice between rocks and such, and it used to provide hours of fun chopping with hockey sticks and dead branches in our local woods—a lot of karate “hi ya’s” mixed in for effect.

Should have known to sharpen the hook after looking at all the paint off that bead!

The water was low and ultra-clear, the sun was bright, so I spooked a few decent fish despite my best intentions.  I also successfully stalked a pod hanging close to a rocky shelf and enticed the smallest fish in the bunch, and my smallest of the day, with an egg pattern.  The other fish I landed were 10-inch class wild browns, dark and lovely from hanging in a deep rocky hole.  The most memorable was the 12-icher I lost before a photo.  Even in a hole at least 4 feet deep, I could see this one slowly chasing and swiping with a wink of white mouth—one time, two times, three times, and I finally stuck him nearly at the end of my rod when he finally caught the jig.  We had a short tussle in the deep and even two jumps before he dropped off right before the net job.  It was my first fish of the morning, of course, but at least he prompted me to sharpen the hook on that jigged streamer and that probably allowed me to land the others; plus I know where he lives if I get another chance before spring when the fish spread out again.  It might be nice to fish in the fresh snow on Monday, but we will have to see how much snow (or rain) we get.  I am hoping I don’t have to wait another 10 days or more between trips, and I am also glad I did not miss this window, however short.

I guess the dink beat the others to the clown fart, but she needs to eat more than they do.